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Emergency Management Institute

FY 2015 Annual Report

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Message from the Superintendent As the Superintendent at the Emergency Management Institute, I am proud of the work being accomplished by the exceptional staff that make up our workforce. We strive daily to set and achieve the highest quality and standards in the training, education, and exercises services we provide to more than two million participants annually. We have made great strides in a number of areas to include FEMA Qualification System (FQS) support, Emergency Management Professional Program (the Academies) and the Virtual Tabletop Exercises, just to name a few stellar achievements—and the BEST is yet to come! I trust you find this report not only a very enjoyable read but also evidence of the contribution of the Emergency Management Institute to our national preparedness goal of a secure and resilient Nation. As always, we stand ready to support you in your emergency management training, education, and exercises endeavors. Sincerely,

Tony Russell

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Table of Contents Emergency Management Institute ............................................................................................ 1

EMI Focus ................................................................................................................................ 1

About EMI ............................................................................................................................... 2

Background .............................................................................................................................. 2

Authority .................................................................................................................................. 2

Training Delivery ..................................................................................................................... 3

EMI Performance ..................................................................................................................... 4

Comments - Training@fema.gov ............................................................................................ 5

Technology Enhancement Investment in Infrastructure .......................................................... 5 Training for State, Local, Tribal, Territorial (SLTT) and Federal Department and Agency Officials .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Exercise-based Training .......................................................................................................... 6

Integrated Emergency Management Course: Preparing the Whole Community for a Complex Coordinated Attack .................................................................................................. 6

Integrated Emergency Management Course: Community Specific ........................................ 6

Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP) ....................................................................... 7

Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) ............................................ 8

Virtual Tabletop Exercise ........................................................................................................ 8

Support to the National Science Foundation ......................................................................... 10

Schools Courses ..................................................................................................................... 10

National Flood Insurance Program Training ......................................................................... 10

National Dam Safety Technical Seminar ............................................................................... 11

Higher Education Program .................................................................................................... 11

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Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) ...................................................... 11 National Emergency Management Basic Academy ........................................................ 12 National Emergency Management Advanced Academy ................................................. 13 National Emergency Management Executive Academy ................................................. 14

Preparedness Training ............................................................................................................ 15 Building a Cadre of ICS Instructors ................................................................................ 15 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Program ............................. 16 Integrating Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Planning .............................. 16 Tribal Training Program .................................................................................................. 17 National Training, Education, and Exercise (NTE&E) Symposium ................................ 18 Support to the Professional Associations ......................................................................... 19

Federal Workforce Training ......................................................................................................... 20

FEMA Workforce Training ................................................................................................... 20

Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) Academy ................................................ 20

FEMA Corps Academy Training ........................................................................................... 20

FEMA Incident Workforce Academy (FIWA) FEMA Corps Basic ..................................... 21

FEMA Incident Workforce Academy (FIWA) - Specialist ................................................... 21

Implementation of SimDeck .................................................................................................. 22

Disaster Field Training Operations (DFTO) .......................................................................... 22

FQS Mass Training Event ...................................................................................................... 23 International Activities/Training .................................................................................................. 24

Community Emergency Response Training Conducted in China ......................................... 24

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Emergency Management Institute

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is the emergency management community’s flagship training institution, providing Federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, volunteer, public, and private sector officials with training focused on strengthening national capability and building national resilience. EMI supports the goals of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by improving the competencies of emergency management officials across the United States and in all levels of government to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all hazards and emergencies. EMI collaborates with emergency management stakeholders to analyze, design, develop, and implement training for 2 million students annually through a variety of training and education methodologies including instructor-led classroom training, facilitated exercise-based training, web-based independent study (IS), and exercises at a distance through the use of various technology platforms. EMI is accredited through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and the American Council on Education (ACE). In a site visit conducted by IACET in January 2016, EMI was re-accredited to award continuing education units for EMI training through February 2020. In addition, EMI continues to host college-level equivalent courses reviewed by ACE so that EMI students can request college credit for EMI training. At present, EMI has 60 courses with college-level credit recommendations ranging from Lower Level to Graduate Level (totaling 122 credits). EMI is part of FEMA’s Protection and National Preparedness (PNP), National Preparedness Directorate (NPD), National Training and Education Division (NTED). Located at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, there are seven branches that comprise EMI. They are the Superintendent’s Business Office, Curriculum Standards and Instructional Technology Branch, Integrated Emergency Management Branch, Mission Support Branch, Mitigation Branch, Preparedness Branch, and Response and Recovery Branch. EMI Focus EMI serves as a national focal point for the development and delivery of emergency management training to enhance the capabilities of state, local, and tribal government officials; volunteer organizations; FEMA’s disaster workforce; other Federal agencies; and the public and private sectors.

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About EMI The following section provides background about EMI, including information leading up to the creation of the EMI and its authorities. Background The Civil Defense Program was established in 1947 under the Department of Defense. Training was first offered under this authority in the spring of 1951 at three Federal facilities. In 1954, the Civil Defense Staff College (CDSC) was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 1979, the CDSC was transferred to FEMA. The CDSC was re-designated as the EMI. In 1979, FEMA purchased Saint Joseph’s College, which subsequently was named the National Emergency Training Center (NETC), and EMI was stationed at this location. During the transition, EMI held classes in temporary facilities until its renovations to campus buildings were completed. EMI officially opened its doors in 1981 at the NETC, and has provided services at this location for 34 consecutive years. Authority EMI derives its authority from Title 6 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act regarding training. The Act states:

(f) Training programs

(1) The Administrator may – (A) Conduct or arrange, by contract or otherwise, for training programs for the

instruction of emergency preparedness officials and other persons in the organization, operation, and techniques of emergency preparedness;

(B) Conduct or operate schools or including the payment of travel expenses, in accordance with subchapter I of chapter 57 of Title 5 and the Standardized Government Travel Regulations, and per diem allowances, in lieu of subsistence for trainees in attendance or the furnishing of subsistence and quarters for trainees in attendance or the furnishing of subsistence and quarters for trainees and instructors on terms prescribed by the Administrator; and

(C) Provide instructors and training aids as necessary. (2) The terms prescribed by the Administrator for the payment of travel expenses and per

diem allowances authorized by this subsection shall include a provision that such payment shall not exceed one-half of the total cost of such expenses.

(3) The Administrator may lease real property required for the purpose of carrying out this subsection, but may not acquire fee title to property unless specifically authorized by law.

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Training Delivery EMI continues significant work in supporting national capabilities by offering training to our state, local, tribal, and territorial government officials; volunteer organizations; FEMA’s disaster workforce; other Federal agencies; and the public and private sectors. The charts below show training completions.

FY 15 Student Course Completions

Independent Study 1,899,433

Resident Classroom (E) 7,923

Off-Site Classroom (L/K/S/V) 24,351

Total Completions 1,931,707

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4000

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2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Resident - Training Completion by Audience

SLTT

DHS/FEMA

OFA

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EMI Performance

EMI measures effective performance based on percent of attendees from all levels of government including state, local, tribal, public, and private sector, and non-governmental organizations reporting that they are better prepared to deal with disasters and emergencies as a result of training.

As a priority component of the NPD FY 2015 Operating plan, this performance measure is established through the application of Kirkpatrick’s post-course evaluation process, Level 3 evaluations, as applied to EMI training. This assessment focuses on the degree to which participants apply what they learned during training when they have returned to the job.

The Kirkpatrick Model is the worldwide standard for evaluating the effectiveness of training. It considers the value of any type of training, formal or informal, across four levels. Level 1 Reaction evaluates how participants respond to the training. Level 2 Learning measures if they actually learned the material. Level 3 Behavior considers if they are using what they learned on the job, and Level 4 Results evaluates if the training positively impacted the organization.1

The percent of students attending training at EMI is assessed annually from student assessments indicating that they are better prepared to deal with disasters and emergencies as a result of training they received. The term student participants refers to and includes all students who attend resident classroom courses at EMI in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and off-site resident classroom courses. This training is provided to Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial

1 The Official Site of Kirkpatrick Model, Tuesday, June 05, 2016; http://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/OurPhilosophy/TheKirkpatrickModel/tabid/302/Default.aspx

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officials; public and private sector officials; and staff of volunteer organizations having key emergency responsibilities. The FY 2015 target for this measure was 96%. EMI achieved this goal with 96.02% of students reporting themselves better prepared as a result of EMI training. Comments - Training@fema.gov To provide better customer service to our audiences, EMI has a central email location for questions and input pertaining to EMI training. Students can contact EMI through the website www.training.fema.gov by clicking either Contact Us or Submit Questions links.

• There are six topic areas the public can choose from – Independent Study, Certificates, Admissions, Higher Education, Website Feedback, and Training Questions.

• From March-September 2015, EMI responded to 108 “Training Questions,” increasing EMI’s level of customer service to the general public. EMI has received comments from the students thanking us for quick responses to their questions. Questions spanned many areas, to include: o Student Identification Number retrieval so students can apply for EMI training; o Information on specific EMI training programs (i.e., What Community Emergency

Response Team (CERT) training is available? What are the Incident Command System (ICS) courses?);

o Contact within their state for more information on field-delivered courses; o Costs for courses; o Requests for EMI training to be delivered in a specific geographical location; and o Dates courses are scheduled to be offered.

Technology Enhancement Investment in Infrastructure In support of technical modernization of instruction, EMI transitioned 30 courses into the Learning Content Management System (LCMS) (an automated IT system for development, shared content, and maintenance of curriculum). EMI developed policy and processes for development and revision of EMI courses within the LCMS. Additionally, to ensure that course enrollment requirements are met, EMI is also coordinating the upgrade of functionality for the Resident Course Evaluation (RCE) system to increase the availability of data and reports.

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Exercise-based Training EMI has several exercise-based training programs that directly support the core capabilities by expanding knowledge and awareness of community resilience, risk management for protection programs, planning, and operational communications and coordination. During FY 2015, EMI provided training to 24 distinct communities, through 178 offerings to 11,579 personnel. Integrated Emergency Management Course: Preparing the Whole Community for a Complex Coordinated Attack EMI developed the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) to build and support core capabilities with a focus of complex coordinated attacks in smaller communities. IEMC brings community response entities together in an exercise environment to test policies and procedures and to build synergistic and mutual relationships. Additional information about this course follows:

• Community eligibility for the course is determined through a collaborative review of capability “gaps.” Jurisdictions identify needs through the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)/State Preparedness Report (SPR) process, as well as evaluation of the current threat environment.

• The four-day course, designed to improve the ability of local jurisdictions to prepare for, protect against, and respond to complex coordinated attacks, was delivered to: o Baton Rouge, Louisiana, o Providence, Rhode Island, and o Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Integrated Emergency Management Course: Community Specific EMI also offers a variation of the IEMC known as “Community-Specific.” This course presents a customized solution for communities specifically tailored to their inherent vulnerabilities. EMI collaborates with community professionals during a pre-course analysis, and creates a learning exercise specific to the local need. The community then practices the exercise through an EMI-facilitated program to build baseline proficiency for response to community disasters. For FY 2015, EMI trained 878 students from 13 communities.

• Courses included: o A cross-border/tribal IEMC with Cook County, Minnesota, the Grand Portage Tribe,

and the Cities of Neebing and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, to exercise their joint response capability.

o An Emergency Operations Center/Incident Management Team Interface course for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in preparation for the Papal Visit NSSE.

Training for State, Local, Tribal, Territorial (SLTT) and Federal Department and Agency Officials

(Courses may have mixed audiences of SLTT and Federal workforce.)

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o A restructured IEMC course format to address student and community feedback through modification and inclusion of more exercise activity and community-focused presentations.

o Launch of EMI’s first use of: Toolkit2, SimulationDeck (SimDeck)3, and IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert Warning System)4.

Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP)

EMI offers the Master Exercise Practitioner Program to develop the capabilities of emergency management exercise personnel in every phase of exercise program management and process. Through growth of knowledge, skill, and abilities, both the quantity and quality of exercises conducted at the Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels are improved. The program consists of:

• Discussion-Based Exercise Design and Evaluation; • Operations-Based Exercise Design and Evaluation; and • Operations-Based Exercise Development. • On-campus offerings of Series 33, 34, and 35 were conducted with 130 people trained.

Other MEPP information follows:

• Partnered with Transportation Security Agency in Pueblo, Colorado, to offer the series of

courses for their staff. • Partnered with National Exercise Division to start “Lunch and Learn” sessions during

MEPP deliveries. The first is a Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Q&A Session and the second is a National Exercise Program (NEP) Overview.

• Partnered with the NETC Learning Resource Center to catalog and archive MEPP student Tabletop Exercises and Functional Exercises that receive a score of 90 or above. Exercises will be cataloged by core capability and will be researchable by future MEPP students.

2 IEMC Exercise Directors and Exercise Design Teams used the National Exercise Division’s (NED) Preparedness Toolkit to build and control Community-Specific IEMCs (E0930) through the Preparedness Toolkit Collaboration and Conduct Space. The test use of this site served as the single collaboration workspace for 2016 Community-Specific IEMCs (E0930) planning and design activities, master scenario events list (MSEL) development, and exercise conduct. 2016 Community-Specific IEMC (E0930) stakeholders are encouraged to check this space regularly to maintain situational awareness on documents, scheduled events, and discussion threads related to 2016 Community-Specific IEMCs (E0930). 3 SimulationDeck is a cloud-based application that empowers crisis training and exercises with the realism of traditional media, social media, geomapping, and related tools. Participants can use any Internet-connected device, computer, tablet, or smartphone. The purchase of SimulationDeck helped elevate the IEMC learning environment and technology platforms to support the National Preparedness Goal, FEMA Strategic Foresight Initiative, and White House Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery, because realism is essential in an exercise-based training environment. The use of social media and public information for emergency management response has significantly increased, creating the training need for use and management of it during a crisis response. 4 The IPAWS integrates web viewer capabilities and other IPAWS-related resources into the IEMC courses. Incorporating the IPAWS web viewer into EMI on-site training allows participants to test and validate alert and warning messages sent, and confirm locations where they were received in a simulated test environment.

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• Implemented first MEPP Newsletter for instructors to update programmatic changes, doctrine updates, and expectations for the fiscal year.

Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) The HSEEP exercise and evaluation doctrine is flexible, adaptable, and for use by all stakeholders across the whole community. It is also applicable for exercises across all core mission areas: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. During FY 2015, EMI delivered:

• 12 offerings of the HSEEP course for 271 students. • 123 off-site offerings of the HSEEP course for 2,382 students.

Overall the program trained 2,600 students in FY 2015, an increase of 49% over the previous year. Virtual Tabletop Exercise To support the core capabilities of community resiliency, public health and medical services, cyber security, long-term vulnerability reduction, and public/private services and resources, EMI offers 4-hour virtual tabletop exercises (VTTX). The VTTX enables Federal, state, tribal, territorial or local government; private sector; and nongovernmental partners to exercise the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to effectively conduct all-hazard emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. VTTX are a no-cost, effective way to bring a myriad of jurisdictions and locations together to discuss differences and similarities in response to critical events through peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange with the application of training technology. Up to 15 VTC jurisdiction sites can participate at any given time. A standard VTC system is required for participation plus additional phone bridges for localized participants. Information on the VTTX can be obtained by contacting the EMI Integrated Emergency Management Branch at (301) 447-1381. During FY 2015, EMI conducted 74 VTTXs, with 22 different scenarios for more than 620 agencies, with international participation, resulting in 7,133 trained officials. The increase over FY 14’s programs are as follows: of 40% in the number of offerings, a 30% increase in the number of scenarios offered, and a 40% increase in the number of people trained.

Emmitsburg, Maryland, August 6, 2015—Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Instructor, Ed Wolf, leads a training class for FEMA emergency management professionals. EMI, formerly St. Joseph’s College, was purchased by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1979 to serve as a training facility for emergency managers. Adam DuBrowa/FEMA

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VTTXs included:

• Two National Security Special Events (NSSE) including Super Bowl XLVIII and the 2015 Papal visit to the United States;

• Major League Baseball for 2015 Opening Day; • Key VTTX with the Centers for Disease Control and DHS Cyber to widen participation

and invigorate new methods to disseminate critical information; and • Papal tabletop exercise used for an offering of the National Response Framework IEMC in

Trenton, New Jersey.

The following table is a summary of the VTTXs conducted during FY 2015 identifying the hazard/scenario, dates of training, participating organizations, and the number of people who completed the training:

VTTX Hazard Offerings Organizations Completions V0015A Cyber 3 28 202 V0023 Public Health Pan Flu 3 23 261 V0002 Winter Storm 3 30 313 V0013 COOP 3 16 190 V0010 Mass Care 3 8 59 V0034 Super Bowl Prep 1 8 69 V0031 Haz Mat Oil 2 11 154 V0001A Earthquake 3 13 165 V0001B Earthquake 3 19 277 V0035 Chlorine 3 15 124 V0022 Public Health Chemical 2 12 156 V0025 Active Shooter 6 67 1020 V0005A Tornado 4 19 163 V0007 Flood 3 27 343 V0009A Hurricane 3 13 162 V0005B Tornado 3 19 264 V0015B Cyber - Planning

Workshop/Tabletop 3 30 223

V0032 Public Health Focus Hurricane 1 7 52 V0009B Hurricane 3 22 184 V0023 Public Health Pan Flu 3 49 414 V0026 Agriculture Incident 4 28 403 V0027 Long-Term Power Outage 3 24 373 V0036 Psychology of Disaster, long-term

mental health recovery 3 56 804

V0099 Papal Visit 1 8 133 V0028 Building Collapse (non-EQ) Focus 3 20 154 V0029 Recovery 3 40 471 FY15 Total 22 scenarios 75 625 7,133

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Support to the National Science Foundation The IEM Branch conducted a two-day tailored Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Management and Operations course for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Sixteen Senior NSF personnel, including two Senior Executive Service (SES) members, participated for better fidelity and understanding of the functions and roles of the EOC when supporting the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Two stand-alone tabletop exercises were held to simulate a building fire and an aircraft crash. Issues identified through the exercise-based training included the flow of information, training of personnel, and the need for various levels of ICS certification. Schools Courses The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools Program includes several courses that support the core capabilities of community resilience and planning. The curriculum is tailored to the unique planning and exercise needs of school systems. The E0361, Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools, course provides K–12 school district teams with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to review, enhance, and sustain an all-hazards district/school emergency operations plan (EOP) to increase their resiliency to all hazards. By including first responders, the training ensures that schools and first responders collaborate on implementing EOPs, thereby strengthening school/first responder partnerships. The course also helps schools understand how their plans fit into the overall community’s plan. EMI delivered this course to 120 participants. The field course, G0364, also designed for school officials and local first responders, is a way to reach even more school districts and individuals through the state emergency management agencies. This course assists hundreds of school districts in developing or refining their EOP and also in training and exercising the EOP. The Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools series of courses receive some of the highest ratings on evaluations, and feedback consistently reveals the effectiveness of the training. The L0363, Multi-Hazard Emergency Management for Higher Education, is an exercise-based course designed for colleges and universities. It provides the knowledge and planning strategies to better protect lives, property, and operations within the context of comprehensive emergency management by utilizing the ICS to develop and implement an emergency operations plan. In FY 2015, EMI delivered the course to 31 organizations, reaching 161 institutions, and 844 participants. National Flood Insurance Program Training In support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), EMI facilitated the development and posting of NFIP Insurance Agent, Flood Adjuster, and Surveyor training at EMI in FY 2015 with a suite of 14 IS courses serving a potential audience of approximately 1.7 million licensed insurance agents; 20,000 flood adjusters; and 44,000 Land Surveyors. Twelve of these courses will be updated and revised in FY 2016 and one new course will be developed.

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National Dam Safety Technical Seminar EMI has the only program in the country that is geared to dam safety. For FY 2015, EMI successfully organized and delivered the National Dam Safety Program Technical Seminar #22 with 244 participants February 18–19, 2015. Higher Education Program EMI conducted the 17th Annual Higher Education Symposium June 1–4, 2015, with more than 300 participants representing academia; emergency management professional organizations; state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management officials; students; and Federal agencies. The theme was “Moving Us Forward: Blending Higher Education and Experiential Knowledge in Emergency Management.” The Symposium focused on the importance of and the connection between formal education and experience in emergency management, and included presentations on current research and discussions on issues of common importance to the developing disciplines of emergency management and homeland security. The 4-day event included the following:

• Six 8-hour pre-symposium workshops • 53 breakout sessions • Daily plenary sessions • Share Fair exhibit of higher education emergency management materials, FEMA

information, and course materials EMI conducted three webinars in 2015 for the higher education community to further develop and sustain programmatic engagement in the DHS Academic Outreach initiative and improve the emergency management profession through interaction with national and international degree-granting programs.

• Session I, April 23, 2015, Presenter, Bo Mitchell, President/Founder 911 Consulting. Theme, “In Emergency Response, Great Plans Are a Smart Thing: Training is Everything!” The webinar provided information on the necessity of training staff on the organization’s emergency operations plans. There were with 76 participants.

• Session II, October 15, 2015, “Promoting Student Success through Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security,” presented by Frederick Community College (FCC) staff and associates. FCC discussed efforts designed to provide effective pathways from secondary to post-secondary emergency management programs, and produce graduates possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that prepare them for work, life, and responsible citizenship. There were 119 participants.

• Session III, December 16, 2015, Campus Ready/Campus Resilience Enhancement System (CaRES) Webinar, with nearly 160 participants. CaRES is a web-enabled tool that guides Institutions of Higher Education through a resilience planning process.

Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) FEMA recognizes the need to strengthen the field of emergency management, which is a dynamic and complex environment. EMI established the EMPP to provide a progressive framework that informs, educates, and assists emergency managers in acquiring the knowledge,

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skills, and abilities necessary to enter and progress through the emergency management field. The EMPP curriculum is designed to be a lifetime of learning for a career in emergency management. The EMPP includes three separate, professional development and education programs:

• National Emergency Management Basic Academy • National Emergency Management Advanced Academy • National Emergency Management Executive Academy

National Emergency Management Basic Academy EMI’s focus is to increase participating states and the number of offerings of the Basic Academy through state-conducted deliveries while maintaining EMI quality and program management. FEMA’s National Emergency Management Basic Academy serves as an entry point for individuals nationwide who are pursuing careers in emergency management and offers a foundational education for the profession. The Basic Academy supports the early careers of emergency managers through a training experience combining knowledge of all fundamental systems, concepts, and practices of cutting-edge emergency management as outlined below:

• Knowledge of all fundamental systems, concepts, and practices of cutting-edge emergency management;

• A shared classroom of adult learners and skillful instructors; • A sound basis for students to build further studies and make good career choices; and • An opportunity for students to build camaraderie, establish professional contacts, and

gain a common understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and legal boundaries of an emergency management program.

To date, the Basic Academy has reached professionals in 48 states, 4 territories, and graduated international students from 2 countries. Since the Academy’s inception in 2011, the Basic Academy has graduated 355 students and 179 qualified trainers from 33 states, Germany (U.S. military installation), and 2 territories.

• A total of 1,091 course completions were achieved within the Basic Academy during

FY 2015.

November 21, 2015—The Emergency Management Institute’s Emergency Management Advanced Academy set up at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management in Richmond. Twenty-three attended the week-long advanced academy course. Students studied leadership styles, mission and vision, and introduction to change management. The four-course series is for emerging leaders and mid-level managers who want to advance their skill sets in emergency management. Photo Courtesy of VDEM

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• 170 graduates from the academy for FY 2015. • 85% of the graduates have entered the emergency management field within the last six

years. The students come from the whole community of state and local government agencies, law enforcement or fire departments, and recent college graduates with a focus on emergency management, industry, or academic emergency response backgrounds. The common thread is that students are either entering the profession, changed careers into the profession, or have assumed duties that require a foundational knowledge of EM.

National Emergency Management Advanced Academy The National Emergency Management Advanced Academy provides mid-career level training and education in the essential skills for emergency management professionals to lead dynamic and resilient programs. This Academy provides a rigorous academic learning environment to develop critical thinking and complex problem solving strategies. The Advanced Academy introduces officials to an academic research project to leverage the newly gained concepts of the program and stimulate growth of emergency management practitioners into evolving leadership roles. To maintain academic currency, the Advanced Academy revised the base curriculum to include targeted subject matter requested by alumni and students, to include the most relevant issues they encounter as emergency managers in their jurisdictions. In FY 2015, the Advanced Academy added the requirement to increase the body of knowledge in the community of practice by having each student author a research paper. Through the 18-month program, students work individually to create an in-depth paper relating to one of the various topics in the emergency management field. Since its inception, 114 students have graduated from the Advanced Academy. In FY 2015, the Advanced Academy had 52 total graduates:

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• 5 Federal employees • 10 State employees • 20 County employees • 16 City/town employees • 1 Tribal employee

National Emergency Management Executive Academy In FY15, the Executive Academy sought to expand the body of knowledge in the community of practice through an Executive Academy Capstone Project. Throughout the program, Cohort III worked collaboratively in multi-functional teams that produced the following projects.

• Communication Challenges in the Public Sector During Biological Incidents. The purpose of this project was to identify lessons learned from government responses to biological incidents, with a particular focus on communication among various levels of government. The paper highlights communication problems encountered during response to H1N1 and Ebola events, and experienced during exercise Dark Winter. The document highlights BioWatch as a best practice and outlines communication integration, messaging and content dissemination, and other supporting recommendations. The draft paper is still in development and has yet to be published or socialized among stakeholders.

• Development of Metrics for Personal Preparedness (This link can also be accessed at the

following URL: http://www.domesticpreparedness.com/pub/docs/DPJJanuary16.pdf). This project addresses the lack of a measurement system to quantify successful emergency management at the individual level. The project explored current methods and motivations for preparedness and then provided recommendations to actualize incentives and build youth programs. This paper has been published.

• The Emergency Management Profession: Growing and Thriving to Create Flourishing

Communities. This project was created to promote the professionalization of the discipline and identify and present the attributes and skill sets necessary for an emergency manager to be successful. Focused on leadership skills and characteristics needed for 2050 and building on the Strategic Foresight Initiative 2011 report, the resulting survey identifies key leadership characteristics, implications, and strategies for overcoming obstacles and provides recommendations. EMI partnered with The international network of Women in Emergency Management (inWEM) and IAEM to build an initial strategy, and is working with the EMI Higher Education Program Community of Interest to align efforts and move forward. Plans are under way to submit a journal article on this focus area in the future.

• Integrating Emergency Management into Fusion Center Intelligence Process. This

project looked to explore the roles and relationships between emergency managers and fusion centers to receive timely and useful all-hazards information. It set out to develop a toolkit to facilitate discussion between emergency managers and fusion centers and to incorporate intelligence products through the emergency management framework. The group developed an initial toolkit consisting of 5 steps that will assist in “re-

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engineering” the relationship and communication pathways between emergency managers and fusion centers. The kit and supporting documentation was created, but has yet to be disseminated or published.

• Although some of this body of work remains unpublished, future cohorts may opt to

continue the work of the previous cohorts on any of these capstone projects. In FY 2015, the Executive Academy had 35 total graduates. This was a highly diverse class with points of view drawn from the following perspectives:

• Regional: o 19 different states o Washington, DC o Canada.

• Organizational: o 5 state emergency management perspectives from: Arizona, Maryland, Texas, Utah,

and Virginia o 4 Federal partners - Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, U.S. Coast

Guard, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Functional: o 4 nongovernmental organizations from American Red Cross and the International

Network of Women in Emergency Management.

In order to bring consistency and standardization both within and across academies, a compilation of standard operation procedures (SOPs) is under way. The following processes were documented in FY 2015.

• Cohort application and selection SOP • Graduation SOP • Executive Academy outreach SOP

Preparedness Training Building a Cadre of ICS Instructors The cornerstone of ICS core curriculum instruction is training the Nation’s ICS instructors to increase capacity to provide National Incident Management System (NIMS) training to personnel involved in all aspects of emergency management. During FY 2015, a total of 566 personnel at the Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels completed the ICS TTT. Students who complete the course and meet the criteria in the NIMS Training Program serve as ICS instructors throughout the country. The chart below shows the concentration of students comparatively by zip code.

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Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Program The national CERT Program educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills. The Program Manager course prepares program managers to establish and sustain an active local CERT program and the TTT course prepares participants to deliver FEMA’s CERT Basic Training courses. In FY 2015, 163 participants were trained in CERT Program Manager training courses, and 232 participants were trained in CERT TTT courses. The jurisdictions of the participants illustrated below show that the intended audience of state and local communities are engaging in the training.

Integrating Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Planning When communities integrate the needs of children and adults with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into their community-wide planning initiatives, they maximize resources, meet their obligations, and strengthen their capabilities. Access and functional needs-inclusive practices better prepare and strengthen the whole community.

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In FY 2015, 297 participants were trained in the Integrating Access and Functional Needs into Emergency Planning training courses.

Tribal Training Program EMI’s tribal training is delivered by a team of instructors who have been carefully selected for their extensive experience working for tribal governments in emergency management. The tribal program consists of five courses designed with tribal people, for tribal governments, to meet the unique emergency management needs of these Sovereign Nations with regard to tribal culture, tradition, sovereignty, and governance and the majority of the instructors are Native. Feedback from participants unanimously supports the cultural appropriateness and credibility of the Tribal Curriculum instructor team. In 2015, there were 650 completions across 5 courses in the Tribal Curriculum:

Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments 246 Emergency Operations for Tribal Governments 116 Mitigation for Tribal Governments 29 Continuity of Operations (COOP) for Tribal Governments 151 Emergency Management Overview for Tribal Leaders 95

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National Training, Education, and Exercise (NTE&E) Symposium

The NTE&E Symposium is a key event for enhancing partnerships between officials from state, tribal, and territorial Offices of Emergency Management; FEMA; and other Federal departments and agencies. The NTE&E Symposium provides Federal, state, tribal, territorial training and exercise officials the opportunity to discuss current and future training, education, and exercise programs and share case studies, lessons learned, and smart practices. The Symposium also provides a platform to introduce current FEMA policy and doctrine.

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Support to the Professional Associations International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)

EMI delivers training annually at the IAEM Conference. The delivery of these courses in partnership with IAEM provides conference participants the opportunity to attend classes that contribute to their Certified Emergency Managers (CEM) recognition. National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)

EMI delivers the E0122, Emergency Management Accreditation Program, course annually in partnership with NEMA. The Emergency Management Assessment Program (EMAP) is a standards-based voluntary assessment and peer review accreditation process for government emergency management agencies. Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)

EMI coordinates with ASFPM to deliver training to floodplain management professionals nationwide. The delivery of these courses in partnership with ASFPM provides participants the opportunity to attend classes that contribute to their Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) recognition.

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FEMA Workforce Training In an effort to support the core capabilities of planning, public assistance, individual assistance, information technology, disaster survivor assistance (to include mass care and housing), and human resources, EMI delivered 406 offerings of 114 courses, with 8,534 student completions. In addition, there were 34 course developments, 45 course revisions, and support provided to a multitude of FEMA-wide priority projects and initiatives. There were 46 IS courses with a combined target of FEMA staff and FEMA partners. Total course completions for these courses was 88,060 in FY 2015. Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) Academy For the third year, the IMAT Academy was held in October. EMI was responsible for providing training courses during 8 of the 13 weeks of the Academy, training 606 students in 35 different courses. Two weeks were devoted to FEMA Qualifications System (FQS) courses to ensure 176 students met qualification standards in their Position Task Book (PTB). The Academy required numerous resources to include 118 instructors, 6 course managers, 2 administrative assistants, and 1 human resource specialist. EMI piloted a paperless delivery of the IMAT Academy. FEMA Corps Academy Training EMI and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) launched an innovative partnership to establish a FEMA-devoted unit of 1,600 service corps members within AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) solely devoted to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The partnership enhances the Federal government’s disaster capabilities, increases the reliability and diversity of the disaster workforce, promotes an ethic of service, expands education and economic opportunity for young people, and achieves significant cost savings for the American taxpayer. The FQS position-specific training is 6 days of resident EMI courses that are delivered to the members based on the position that they are expected to hold during disaster operations. These positions vary by AmeriCorps campus. The courses are resident EMI courses and are the same courses that the FEMA disaster workforce receive for disaster operations. At the conclusion of the training, the FEMA Corps members have the background and foundational knowledge needed to perform at the trainee level when deployed to a disaster or other organizational location in support of the larger FEMA mission.

Federal Workforce Training (While the training below is primarily targeted to the FEMA Workforce, some of the courses have mixed audiences to also include SLTT students.)

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FEMA Corps members focus on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery activities. They provide support in areas ranging from working directly with disaster survivors, to supporting disaster recovery centers (DRCs), to sharing valuable disaster preparedness and mitigation information with the public. More than 550 team leads/members were trained in 12 different FQS positions, to include public assistance, individual assistance, information technology, external affairs, planning, geographic information system, and disaster survivor assistance. As part of the training, team leaders received a 1-day FEMA Corps Team Leader training to prepare them for their leadership role at a disaster. Other members received a 2-day FEMA general overview of emergency management, the FEMA organization, and disaster operation course.

FEMA Incident Workforce Academy (FIWA) FEMA Corps Basic In FY 2015, six FIWA FEMA Corps Basic courses were delivered, including twice in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and once in regional offices located in Sacramento, California; Denver, Colorado; Baltimore, Maryland; and Vinton, Iowa, training a total of 637 FEMA Corps members. This course provides the background information on emergency management and the FEMA organization that the members needed for their position-specific training. FEMA Incident Workforce Academy (FIWA) - Specialist During 2015, the Incident Workforce Management Division (IWMD), along with the Mission Support (MS) Branch, conducted 17 iterations of FIWA, preparing FEMA employees with basic information to support incident management activities. The audience for this course consists of all FEMA personnel including Reservists, Cadre of Reserve Employees (CORE), permanent full-time (PFT), and temporary full-time (TFT) employees. Fifteen courses were conducted at CDP in Anniston, Alabama, and two additional classes were added to support Mass Training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Charleston, South Carolina, supporting the training of 846 students. It is anticipated that the Emergency Manager Orientation (EMO) - FIWA Tier IV - Specialist will replace New Employee Orientation (NEO) with a combination of FIWA and NEO courses to ensure that all new employees are properly on-boarded and trained to deploy in support of agency needs simultaneously.

Sacramento, California—FEMA Corps members are instructed by Logistics Section Chief Mark Ackerman (C) on the Incident Action Plan (IAP). FEMA trains the FEMA Corps members on IAP planning and operations during a disaster declaration from wildfires. Adam DuBrowa/FEMA

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Implementation of SimDeck Social Media is causing a revolution in emergency management and managing this tool has become a staple for Public Information Officers (PIOs). Supporting this effort, EMI secured licenses to incorporate the SimDeck social media simulation tool into exercises as part of the training process for PIOs, as well as those gathering situational awareness. For the Advanced PIO course, FEMA External Affairs and EMI staff created more than 800 static injects used during the course to move the exercise through the week. These generated more than 1,200 additional interactions with students and controllers. Injects include video, audio, photos, and exercise information. The tool simulates media, blogs, Web pages, and social media commonly used by emergency managers. FEMA’s External Affairs assisted with developing, monitoring, and evaluating the course. Full implementation of SimDeck is scheduled for first quarter of FY 2016. Disaster Field Training Operations (DFTO) EMI is responsible for governing FEMA’s DFTO Cadre. At an incident, the Training Unit is the ICS term used to refer to the training function in the JFO. The DFTO Cadre staffs the Training Unit in the JFO. The DFTO Cadre provides a wide range of training-related services to support the operational needs of FEMA incidents by delivering disaster performance improvement training opportunities at the JFO and other disaster facilities. The quality of FEMA’s response and recovery efforts is directly linked to the knowledge and skills possessed by disaster workforce staff in disaster operations. Keeping a well-performing disaster workforce is a great challenge. Some FEMA disaster workers may not have worked in many months and may not have current information. New disaster workers drawn from the local community may be used each time there is a disaster, creating a need for local hire training. Disaster programs and policies may vary from disaster to disaster depending on the FEMA/State Agreement and other disaster-specific nuances. These challenges create the need to provide quality “just-in-time” training as well as supporting emerging agency initiatives to maintaining a qualified, highly performing workforce. As of September 30, 2015, the DFTO deployed to 15 open Joint Field Offices (JFOs), supporting 28 open declarations for Calendar Year 2015 and:

• Supported 481 disaster field (DF) courses with 6,587 participants and 8,221 hours of training;

• Supported 559 briefings with 7,528 participants and 22,394 hours of training; and • Included combined totals of training categories: 7,103 Reservists; 182 PFTs; 41 TFTs;

4,100 COREs; 347 Local Hires; 301 State; and 2,041 “Others.”

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FQS Mass Training Event The FLETC in Charleston, South Carolina, was the location for a 4-week Mass Training. This effort took place during the months of July and August 2015. The purpose of the training was to help 139 PFT/CORE/Incident Management CORE (IMC)/TFT and 137 FEMA Reservist Trainees make progress toward FQS in their respective positions in a short time frame. Below is a table showing the courses and number of offerings of each delivered and the number of students trained. Courses Number Trained Planning (0754) 3 45 ICS, Management in Disaster Operations for First Line Supervisors and Middle Managers (0300, 0400, 0563, 0564, 0598)

8 191

Public Assistance (0381) 1 13 Human Resources (0590) 1 12 National Disaster Recovery Support (0088) 1 15

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Community Emergency Response Training Conducted in China In 2011, FEMA entered into an agreement with The Asia Foundation (“the Foundation”) to support a project on improving leadership and coordination of disaster management in China. The Foundation is a registered private voluntary organization with U.S. Agency for International Development. In 2014, the Foundation sought, and FEMA agreed to provide, adapted CERT training in Chengdu, Sichuan, for approximately 44 Chinese officials with emergency management responsibilities. This project is being carried out in collaboration with the China Earthquake Administration. In phase one of the project, four FEMA officials traveled to Beijing and Chengdu in April 2015 to conduct a needs assessment. The U.S. team identified prospective participants, training needs, and potential evaluation criteria with the aim of delivering the adapted CERT training in August 2015. Phase two involved adaptation of the CERT training materials in coordination with the Foundation.

Department of State Recognizing the Efforts of FEMA FEMA and the National Earthquake Response Support Service of China Earthquake Administration are collaborating on building community-based disaster management in China. In August 2015, FEMA, with funding from USAID/OFDA, is to deliver an adapted Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training session in Chengdu, China, for 45 representatives from various governmental and non-governmental organizations.

International Activities/Training